This collection investigates the authorship and chronological origins of the Historia Augusta, a notoriously enigmatic collection of Roman imperial biographies. Ronald Syme, a preeminent scholar of Roman history, utilizes a combination of traditional philological analysis and early computational evidence to challenge the long-standing assumption that the work was written by six different authors. He posits that the text is the product of a single, erudite hoaxer writing significantly later than the period of Diocletian and Constantine, effectively categorizing the work as a sophisticated exercise in fictional history.

Scholars recognize this volume as a critical intervention in the long-standing debate over the authenticity of the Historia Augusta. The text is noted for its rigorous academic density and remains a foundational reference for those studying the intersection of Roman historiography and literary deception.